Warriors: A Twist in Time
by Jesus Power
Summary: Firestar has a decision. Let Singe join the Clan, or kill her. Warriors.
1. Chapter 1: Singe

Firestar leaped to the Highrock to call a clan meeting. He had something VERY important to tell everyone. And since some cats had been wondering what the weird smell was, he thought he out to tell them.

"Cats of Thunderclan! Let all those cats old enough to catch there own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting." He yowled, hoping they would understand. There were murmurs of confused cats.

"Why did he call us out so early?" Shrewpaw wondered, still sleepy. "Does this have anything to do with the bad stench in our camp?" Dustpelt asked loudly to his leader. Firestar threw a glare at Dustpelt before sighing. "Yes it is. Now, I need you to decide with me on whether we should keep this...fox in our Clan."

"FOX??" everyone jumped to their paws, yowling curses. "Yes, a fox. Now, please step out…what was it again?" "Singe" said a smooth voice. And then the fox came out of the shadows, low to the ground, followed by 5 of the strongest warriors. "Now that we know who and what is, we need to know if you would like to join our Clan."

"WHAT? A FOX JOIN OUR CLAN??" shouted Mousefur. Firestar gave him a stern look. "Singe can speak our tongue and can hunt very well. She has also informed me that she is a…" Firestar had paused long enough for Singe to snap, "I'm a vegetarian!" "How can we believe that?" Whitestorm said, trying to be reasonable. "If I wasn't a vegetarian, I would be eating all of you right now!" growled the she-fox.

They all fell silent after this, and then Sandstorm said, "Well, why don't we sleep a little longer, and then hold a trial for Singe at sunhigh tomorrow." Firestar blinked thankfully at the pale-ginger she-cat, and then looked at Singe. "We need an apprentice to bring her some moss and water. Also, Cinderpelt, do you think you could bring Singe some herbs?" Cinderpelt nodded and set off to get the correct ones. Shrewpaw was sent to fetch some fresh moss for Singe, and he took Spiderpaw with him.

The rest of the cats went back to their nests, and Firestar jumped off the Highrock to greet Singe. "Where do you think I should sleep, Firestar?" Singe asked, suddenly tired. "I'm not sure. Probably near my nest, so in case there is any trouble, I can address it quickly."

The vixen nodded and looked like she was going to say something. She closed her mouth as Cinderpelt came over, a big bundle of herbs dangling from her mouth. She set it down and started rubbing some type of leaf on her wounds. Singe cringed when the gentle medicine cats rubbing came to her shoulder. Firestar looked at the gorse tunnel when Shrewpaw and Spiderpaw came back, staggering under the weight of the moss.

Shrewpaw set his down near the entrance of Firestar's den after he signaled with his tail. Spiderpaw's dripping load went right next to Shrewpaws. Then they went to the apprentice's den to get more sleep before going hunting at sunhigh.

Firestar started arranging the moss to make it more comfortable. Singe came over to him and gently pushed him aside to lie down. "Its fine" She said with a slight smile. She pushed her snout against the ball of wet moss and drank her fill before wrapping her bushy tail around herself and closed her eyes.

Firestar went over to Sandstorm, who was giving an order to an apprentice, who went off to find a buddy to hunt. Firestar pressed his nose into her pelt and sighed. She nuzzled him and said "It will get easier. You'll see. I know you will make the right choice." Firestar felt better, but his confidence was still very low.

"I need to go to the Moonstone." Sandstorm looked at him with surprise. "Who do you want to go with you, then?" She asked, recovering quickly. "I want you, Shrewpaw, Singe, and myself. That way I can share dreams with Starclan but still have peace. You can look after Singe while Shrewpaw and I go in. Is that all right with you?" Firestar said, already edging away to get the traveling herbs from Cinderpelt. Sandstorm nodded and went off to collect Shrewpaw and Singe.  
"Cinderpelt?" He asked, nudging his way into her den. Her eyes were shining as she pushed three bundles of herbs towards him with her nose. "I know when you are going to go to the Moonstone. I'm a medicine cat."

Firestar purred, licking her shoulder. "Thank you, Cinderpelt." She ducked her head and pushed her head into his pelt. "Now get going, you big lump" She said with a teasing glint in her eyes. He nodded and picked up the bundles. He dropped one in front of Sandstorm and Shrewpaw where they were waiting for him. They lapped up the mixture and looked at him expectantly. "I just need to get one more" he said through the last bundle of herbs. They both nodded and walked over to the gorse tunnel. He headed for the moss bed where Singe lay.

Dropping the herbs, he meowed, "Singe, are you up to traveling somewhere yet?" Singe's emerald eyes looked up at him and looked fierce with determination. "I'm up for anything" she said quietly. Firestar was relieved that she didn't ask where they were going. He watched carefully as she sniffed the leaves then chewed them up before standing and padding over to him.

He walked over to Graystripe and murmured, "I'm going to Highstones and need you to watch over the camp. If anyone attacks, don't let them know we have Singe." Graystripe's eyes were huge as he nodded to let Firestar know he knew.

Singe looked curious but didn't say anything. She just followed Firestar to where the other two cats were waiting. Shrewpaw looked excited at going to the Moonstone and being able to see it so early in his apprenticeship. Sandstorm looked surprised to see Singe following Firestar, but she kept quiet. She didn't want to fight with the fox.

They padded out of the camp and headed off on their journey. When they were close to the Windclan border Firestar stopped and sniffed to make sure no other cat was around. He smelt nothing so they continued on and made it to the Highstones peacefully.

"Now, I want Shrewpaw and Singe to go with me, and Sandstorm you stay watch." He blinked at Sandstorm affectionately, trusting her to guard their lives. Shrewpaw looked calm now, and he kneaded the ground in anticipation. Firestar purred and brushed his nose into Sandstorms pelt, drinking in her scent. Then he pulled away and led the way into the small cave.

Shrewpaw went after Firestar and Singe followed the both of them. The cave walls seemed to close in on them as they got deeper, and Singe had to crawl about half-way through. But soon they made it all the way and the tunnel was lit up. Shrewpaws face was lit up with excitement and even Singe looked peaceful. Firestar lay down on the hard, cool rock and gently pressed his nose to the glowing stone.

He opened his eyes and looked around. There were glowing red eyes and Firestar looked closer. The eyes belonged to badgers. He flinched and the images were foggy. Then he was back in his clan, watching a battle. The badgers were fighting hard, and the cats seemed to be losing. Then, a flash of red hit the biggest badger and they vanished.

He woke up with a start. He didn't say anything, but looking at Singe's wide eyes and deep red pelt made him know what he had to do. He flicked his tail to the exit and let Singe led the way out, followed by Shrewpaw, then himself.

"What happened?" Shrewpaw asked once they were out of the cave. Sandstorm leaped up when she saw them. Firestar looked at the young tom. "Singe will need some sleep, so maybe we should go to Ravenpaw. We can get some freshkill and sleep. I will tell you after that." Shrewpaw looked a little disappointed, but cheered up at the thought of freshkill and a place to sleep.

Sandstorm nodded and entwined her tail with Firestars. Singe just looked tired and followed them to the close barn that was the home to Ravenpaw and Barley. A sleek, black shape soon met them at the door. "Hi Firestar, Sandstorm, Shrewpaw" then he noticed Singe and yowled, "Did you know that there is a fox behind you??"

Singe looked up with frightened eyes and crouched down, getting ready to pounce if needed. Firestar meowed sharply, "This is Singe, and I'll explain everything later." He added a little nicer, "Would it be alright to stay here for the night?" Ravenpaw nodded and they all padded into the barn.


	2. Chapter 2: Ceremony

When they had all fallen asleep, Firestar got up and caught some of the mice that were running about

When they had all fallen asleep, Firestar got up and caught some of the mice that were running about. He made a freshkill pile and then scarfed one down. He fell asleep, glancing about before drifting off. Sandstorm's nose prodded him into consciousness again. "Mhm?" he meowed, sleepy. "Time to get up, Firestar" she meowed back, turning to wake the others.

Firestar got to his paws and stretched. Time to get some freshkill then leave. While the other cats ate, Firestar told Ravenpaw about how this came about. He finished with, "So I came here to let the others get some sleep." Ravenpaw looked thoughtful. Then he nodded. "Anytime you need to come, Firestar, you are welcome." Firestar nodded his thanks and went over to Singe to prod her awake.

Singe looked up at him, strength coming from sleeping. "Yes, Firestar?" He looked at her, meowing, "What….what do you eat?" he was curious, but also didn't want her to starve. She looked around and sniffed, trying to figure out what was here for her to eat.

"I can eat those leaves outside, the tree ones. Not the ones on the ground, though." Firestar nodded and padded out. He leaped onto a thick trunk and scrambled to a low branch. He jumped a few times and saw some leaves coming down. The Thunderclan leader jumped down, taking a few leaves down with claws unsheathed. He collected them in a big pile and gathered them in his jaws.

Shrewpaw padded outside, going to get water. He dipped his head respectively and asked, "Do you need any help?" Firestar kept going through the door, shaking his head to both sides. Shrewpaw nodded again and slipped out, sniffing the air to find fresh water.

Singe lifted her head again when she smelt Firestar and the leaves. Once he placed them on the ground in front of her, she took them in her mouth and gulped them down. The fiery pelt of the tom squirmed with discomfort. "How do you not eat freshkill?" he asked suddenly.

Singe stopped chewing and said softly, "How do you not eat leaves and bark?" Firestar got it after some thought, and soon Singe was done. She swiped her tongue around her jaws and they all padded out, meeting Ravenpaw and Shrewpaw on the way. Ravenpaw meowed a goodbye and good luck and Shrewpaw silently joined the travelers.

Sandstorm shot Firestar a weird look. It said, "What's the game plan?" Firstar sighed and led them to a shady tree. They had gone pretty far now, and it was a good time to let their paws rest.

Firestar meowed, "Singe is a part of our clan." They all looked surprised, even Singe herself. "Why?" she asked plainly. Firestar replied tiredly, "I had a dream with Starclan. Something…evil is coming and we need you to help save us. But you need training and to do that is to join our clan."

They all kept staring at him like he was a badger or something. "We do need the help, and Singe can fight. She put up a good fight, even though she was tired…" Firestar's thoughts went back to his first few moons as an apprentice. He remembered meeting Yellowfang the same way, too.

He shook his head to clear it and caught Singe's question. "Will I get a different name, like you?" Firestar replied quickly, "Yes, you will. But there is one thing…"

She looked at him with her head to the side. "Yes?" He meowed, "You will be expected to treat the others with respect, and sleep in the apprentices den," his whiskers twitched. "You mean I can't sleep in my current bed outside your den?" She didn't seem angry, she just wanted to know.

He nodded and they all looked thoughtful. "Why don't we go hunting so we can bring some freshkill back with us?" Firestar finally said. Shrewpaw nodded and slipped off with Sandstorm, who gave him a look.

Firestar snuck off and spotted a bird. He pounced and killed it, giving thanks to Starclan before eating it. He searched for more, vaguely aware of Singe following him. He caught another bird, a mouse, and a squirrel before he went back to the tree that they would meet at. He smelt a mouse but saw Singe sniffing too. She lunged and caught it. Looking up, she couldn't help but feel proud.

"You caught that by watching and learning what I did" he meowed proudly. "You are going to make a fine warrior." Singe straightened up and put her catch on the little pile they had started. Shrewpaw came back next, jaws full. He set his down and Sandstorm put hers down when she came back. Sandstorm nodded at Shrewpaw. "He's ready to become a warrior" she meowed. "He caught most of it."

Firestar nodded and thought about that. "I'll watch you tomorrow at sunhigh and if all goes well, then at sun-down you will be a warrior" he decided. Shrewpaw looked excited, but then he ducked his head in embarrassment. Singe looked thoughtful.

Firestar realized that Shrewpaw's ceremony would be the first she would see other than seeing the moonstone. He just hoped the others would see what the big picture was and accept her.

Sandstorm waited, tail flicking anxiously. "Are we going to head back now, Firestar?" He nodded and she picked up her prey. They loaded their jaws and headed back to camp.

Singe took some, too, only to be fair. If she was going to be an apprentice, then she would be treated like one. They made it back without further interruption and Firestar looked around the camp before setting his freshkill on the pile. Everything was alright.

Graystripe padded over. "How are you? I see you are all fine" he said, obviously thinking about Singe. Firestar nodded. "Yes. And we brought some freshkill, too." He looked distant. "Firestar?" Graystripe wondered, shifting from paw to paw. "You alright?"

Firestar shook his head again. "I'm fine. We are going to have a ceremony tonight." Graystripe nodded. "For who?" Firestar replied before padding to his den, "Singe."


End file.
